


It's a Fired Up World

by jilliangilbert



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Professor and Student are Both Adults, Professor/Student Relationship, Slow Build, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 18:44:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8412529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jilliangilbert/pseuds/jilliangilbert
Summary: Dr. Gorin develops feelings for her doctoral student as she nears graduation...*Jill burns her hand, Dr. Gorin takes care of her, there's a lot of care-taking here... (:+ Jill has a birthday and it's cute





	1. Burn

Dr. Rebecca Gorin sees infinite potential in her protégé, and p.h.D candidate, Jillian Holtzmann.  
  
She has never met anyone like her. Jill is so enraptured by everything Rebecca teaches her that it often causes the older woman to blush.  
  
"Dr. Gorin," Jillian says, with puzzled wonder, "How is a dying ball of gas so beautiful?" she asks looking into her telescope.

The pair, at Jillian's request, come up to the roof often to look for Supernovae. Sightings are rare. Even for someone who spends hours a night- they may only see six every three years. But Jill loves to gaze into the galaxy just the same, and Dr. Gorin loves the time they spend together.  
  
"Call me Rebecca," Dr. Gorin replies, gazing at the blonde affectionately.  
  
"Um, Dr. Rebecca...how is..." Jill replies, repeating her question.  
  
"Just Rebecca is fine. You've earned it,” the older woman says, sending chills up her protégé's spine.  
  
Jill's 28th birthday is a week away.  
  
Dr. Gorin is planning to surprise her. The blonde has few acquaintances, no close friends, and doesn't enjoy large social gatherings. She likes being in her lab, spending time at home, and dancing to her favorite music, dreaming up new inventions.  
  
For this reason, Dr. Gorin decides to surprise her with a dinner for the two of them. She's been eyeing Jillian in a new light for the past year—noticing the way her mouth twitches under pressure and the way those pretty blue eyes light up when she discovers something new.  
  
She had never wanted to make Jill feel uncomfortable and she didn't want to compromise her relationship with her student by making any kind of advance.  
  
But Jill isn’t a little girl now. She’s not the reserved and timid 23 year old she'd met nearly five short years ago. These past several years seem to have flown by in Dr. Gorin's opinion, but at the same time, she can’t quite remember what life was like before Jill.  
  
Her heart swells with pride knowing she has someone to carry on her legacy. It gives her life and profession meaning.  
  
The two women climb down from the roof of their physics lab in Boston and head back inside to resume work in the lab.

  
Jill begins to work with some chemicals when one of her beakers catches fire, a flame searing into her hand.  
  
"Ahhww!" She yells, jumping back and holding her hand in agony.  
  
Dr. Gorin rushes over to extinguish the fire.  
  
"Jilli, what have I told you about not wearing two layers of protective gloves, baby??"  
  
Jill winces from the pain but startles at the affectionate term her mentor has unintentionally used.  
  
"Come here. Now, let me see." Dr. Gorin takes Jill's hand in hers.  
  
"It's only a first degree burn, let’s get it under some cool water," she says gently, leading Jill by the shoulders over to the industrial sink in their lab. The older woman turns on the faucet and holds Jill's hand as she places it under the running water.  
  
"There, now," she soothes, while Jill places her head on Dr. Gorin's shoulder wincing from the burn.  
  
"Fingertips have some of the most sensitive nerve endings in the body, Jillian, you know this," Dr. Gorin says, as she pulls the young engineer’s hand out of the water, lightly placing her cheek to Jill's red, inflamed fingertips.  
  
"It's okay, baby," she says again, this time aware of her words, hoping maybe to gauge a reaction.  
  
Jill's bright blue eyes tilt up toward hers.  
  
"I'm sorry, Rebecca," she whispers, enjoying this new intimacy.  
  
"Just be more careful. I won't be around for much longer," Dr. Gorin replies, with a pained look in her eyes.  
  
"Ooh, you have a few years left in you," Jill teases, giggling.  
  
Dr. Gorin smiles, "Yes, but you graduate soon, going off into the world, and I'll have another young mind to mentor.”  
  
Jill flinches at the thought of this. Her body becomes hot and her breathing more shallow. Dizziness begins to set in. She hasn’t let herself think about what she will do after graduation, or what Dr. Gorin’s place in her life will be.

She feels jealous toward this new possible mentee who will replace her. Tears well up in her eyes and begin to spill over her cheeks.

“Jill? Oh honey, is it still hurting that bad? Let me go run get some burn cream from the kit in my office. Here, sweetie, sit down right here and wait for me,” Dr. Gorin instructs sympathetically as she smoothes the blonde’s curls away from her tears. “I’ll be right back.”

Dr. Gorin returns with the cream. “You’ve had a long month, haven’t you?” she murmurs, kneeling beside her student.

All Jill can manage is a nod, holding out her hand.

“Well, it’s almost over, you’ll soon be Dr. Jillian Holtzmann.” The professor gently rubs the vaseline-like cream into the palm and back of Jillian’s hand. She loosely wraps it in gauze before looking up into the tear-stained girl’s face.

“What is it, Jill? Why are you crying, dear?” Jill sniffs and shrugs. She can’t possibly say all that she’s feeling.


	2. Soothe

Jillian tries to regain her composure. She feels panicked at her recent outburst of tears. She wants to curl up and hide under the floorboards, but Dr. Gorin's hand softly strokes her back, and it feels nice. She didn't know physical contact could feel this way.

"I'm sorry, Re-Rebecca..." Jill murmurs, nuzzling her head underneath the older woman's chin, grasping at Dr. Gorin's lab coat with her non-injured hand.

"It's alright, sweetheart," Dr. Gorin soothes. The women are seated together in the lab they have worked side by side in for the past five years.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong, little one?" Dr. Gorin asks.

Jillian inhales, letting her exhale out slowly - a coping mechanism she's learned to help with her anxiety disorder.

"I'm right here..." Dr. Gorin says, "you can trust me, Jillian, you know that."

"I don't want you to replace me, I'm so scared of starting over some place new, without you..." her student says softly, trying her hardest not to let the whimper escape her throat.

Dr. Gorin tilts Jill's face up to meet her gaze. 

"I could never replace you. But you will move on, and I will stay here...I've written your recommendation letters. It's up to you to decide where life takes you next."

Jill tucks her head back under Dr. Gorin's chin. Her fingers trace the outline of her professor's collarbone. Dr. Gorin shivers at the contact, clearing her throat.

"Now then, up you go," she says. Jillian reluctantly lets Dr. Gorin pull her to her feet.

"Alright," Dr. Gorin says smoothing the blonde's wild curls from her tear-stained face and adjusting her plaid collar,

"I'm taking you to dinner on Saturday evening in celebration of your doctoral achievements. The restaurant is 'reservation only' so it has a bit of a dress-code. You know I adore your wardrobe but —"

"You do?" Jillian asks, both surprised by this last statement and overwhelmed by the invitation. 

"Of course I do, dear, but if you'd like a new outfit I had a suit tailored to your measurements. My mathematical skills can approximate sizes very easily. Well I - I hope you'll find the gesture appropriate and accept the invitation..."

Rebecca trails off, her face flushing a shade of pink...wondering if she's overstepped, if she's too old, or this is silly.   
Maybe Jillian is just emotional but not interested in having dinner with her like this. This is meant to be a surprise for her birthday. But she hoped the news would help cheer her up a bit. Now she's unsure...

"I would love to accompany you," Jillian says, bringing her hand up to cup Rebecca's cheek. 

She's never seen her professor flustered...hesitant...vulnerable...

"What time should I be there?"


	3. Safe

It had been three days since Jillian and Dr. Gorin were in the lab together. Jill’s hand was mostly healed – it didn’t hurt so much now to pick up her tools, and she most certainly would remember to wear a second set of gloves over her finger-less gloves from now on.

Dr. Gorin had asked Jillian to meet her at her house – a cozy, one-story, two-bedroom home about a fifteen minute walk from campus.

Dr. Gorin left a key under the mat for Jill since she would be finishing up a series of conference lectures and wanted Jillian to be able to change into her new suit in time to make it to their dinner reservation.

After all the years they’d known each other, this is the first time Jillian has ever been to her professor’s home. The air is a bit chilly on her walk over, the sun has started to set. Jill fumbles with the key and timidly lets herself in through the front door.

The professor’s house is quaint, carpeted, and homey. There is a round kitchen table with two chairs, some papers spread out on the table and a coffee mug sitting on a coaster. It still smells faintly like the pot of coffee that sits on the marble counter top.

The living room has plush white carpet and a leather sofa with a red-striped chair facing a brick fireplace.

There’s a large bookshelf on the wall behind the sofa lined with what looks like hundreds of books…memoirs, history books, books on modern physics, engineering, mathematics, as well as fictional classics like _The Scarlet Letter_ and _The Great Gatsby_. Jillian runs her fingers reverently over their spines.

Dr. Gorin explained earlier that her suit was laid out in the guest room. Jillian knows the room is the second door passed the linen closet.

So, she also knows that the door at the end of the hallway is her professor’s bedroom…that knowledge makes her finger tips tingle and her stomach flip over a bit. She feels warm, and titillated, and…safe…but she doesn’t dare go into such a sacred space without permission.

She gingerly opens the door to the guest room to find a full-size bed with a handmade knit quilt, a blue rocking chair in the corner, and an on-suite guest bathroom.

The suit is laid out on the bed, and the sight of it causes Jillian to smile from ear to ear. It’s absolutely perfect. There’s a towel and a wash cloth along with a new bottle of body-wash beside the suit.

She wastes no time stripping out of her overalls and striped t-shirt, wrapping herself in the towel and heading toward the shower. She feels like a pampered princess, and isn’t quite sure what to make of it. She lathers up her body, careful not to get her hair wet since she washed it that morning.

Stepping out of the shower, she sees her reflection in the mirror: her face flushed pink, blue eyes sparkling, wild blonde curls framing her face. Smiling, she towels off and walks over to the suit.

It is a pin-striped suit with a white button down shirt, a matching fitted blazer, and a sky-blue neck tie. This is definitely what a princess feels like, she thinks.

There’s also a new pair of dress shoes in her size at the foot of the bed with a pair of black socks. Once she’s changed, she ruffles through her backpack to find her mascara, applying it generously. She also applies a bit of soft-pink lipstick.

Sighing in full contentment, she spins on her heel to head to the living room, and wait for Dr. Gorin. When she enters, she sees Dr. Gorin standing at the kitchen stove in a fitted black dress, stirring a pot of boiling pasta.

“Happy Birthday, darling,” the older woman says, “I may have told you a tiny white lie, but the truth is, this restaurant is reservation only."


	4. Birthday Girl

Jillian’s mouth falls open seeing her professor standing there.

“I’m sorry if you’re disappointed, dear,” Dr. Gorin starts, “I just wanted you to have a good home-cooked meal for your birthday, darling. You deserve it. We can still go eat at the finest restaurant in Cambridge any time, if you’d like that…” she says before adding, “My goodness, Jillian Marie, you do look just gorgeous in that suit.”

“…I love it,” the younger woman responds, shaking a little, “thank you so much…for – for all of this,” she continues as she throws her arms around the taller woman.

Dr. Gorin turns off the burner and wraps Jill in a close embrace.

“I’m so, so proud of you,” she murmurs into the blonde’s hair. She feels Jillian holding her breath and knows that she’s holding back tears.

“It’s okay, love, you can cry. I've seen your tears before.”

It’s more of an exhaling sob that escapes the younger woman’s mouth.

Dr. Gorin squeezes her tighter against her chest. Holding her for just a moment longer.

“Thank you, Rebecca. This - It means so much to me.”

“You deserve every bit of it. You’re such a good girl,” Dr. Gorin says, pulling back from their hug to look into the younger woman’s face. Jillian squeezes Dr. Gorin’s hip like she’s afraid she’ll float away.

“Stand back, let me look at you in this dashing suit…

“wow - you have grown up since the first day we met... Do you remember that day?”

Jillian laughs wiping her eyes, “Yes. I was so nervous…I wanted you to like me so badly…” she flicks her eyes down blushing.

“Well, now, you should have been careful what you wished for then, sweetheart,” Dr. Gorin replies.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

 

The two women sit down to dinner – Spaghetti Bolognese with Dr. Gorin’s famous sauce. It was no secret between the two how much Jillian loved pasta, particularly spaghetti.

Jill pops open a bottle of champagne that her professor brings out with a green bow on top.

For dessert, the older woman has made a two-layered caramel cake with pink frosting. On top, in baby blue icing it reads – Happy Birthday Dr. Jillian Holtzmann – and Dr. Gorin proceeds to light 28 rainbow candles for the birthday girl to blow out.

Feeling elated from the meal and intimate time with her favourite person, as well as the effects of the champagne, Jillian joins in singing, “Happy Birthday to me,” while Dr. Gorin laughs along trying to sing the correct version.

The light from the candles framing Jillian’s flushed, young face and her vibrant dimpled smile is an image Dr. Gorin will have forever.

“I wish to be as happy forever as I am right now,” Jill says, before taking a dramatic breath and blowing out each candle.

After cake, they move into the living room. As Jillian gets a fire going using the wood piled beside the fire place, Dr. Gorin returns with five wrapped boxes.

“Rebecca! You know this birthday is meaningless. I’m 28... After your “sweet 16” or your “big 21” – which trust me, neither of mine were anything to write home about it, no one cares about your birthday again until you turn – I don’t know 100 – because they just can’t believe you made it that far. And you shouldn’t spend your hard-earned money on me –”

“Oh hush, little one,” Dr. Gorin says, uninhibited from the champagne, “I have more money than I know what to do with. Do you know how many inventions I have patented? A person can’t even begin to build a nuclear weapon without lining my pockets – my apologies to the government…”

Jillian’s reverence for her professor shoots up a zillion more notches.

“And furthermore,” Dr. Gorin continues, “every birthday of yours is important to me, you know that. I love spoiling you.”

Jillian blushes, but excitedly reaches for the boxes, “Which one should I open first?”

“Hmm…this one,” Dr. Gorin says, pointing to a long box.

Inside are three ties to go with her new suit. A pink bow-tie, a red neck-tie like her baby blue one, and a turquoise tie with tiny yellow and white stars.

“I love them!” Jill squeals.

“Now then, when you take this suit off, I want you to hang it up. I thought you could wear it to the graduation ceremony and any of the other events you have coming up.”

“Yes ma’am,” Jillian salutes.

The next gift is a new soldering kit and the one after that is a pair of leather gloves along with a first aid and burn kit.

“So that you keep your precious hands protected,” Dr. Gorin says, rubbing Jillian’s back, who’s seated on the floor, while the older woman sits on the couch, sipping another glass of champagne.

“Thank you,” the younger woman smiles, fingering the gloves.

Next Jillian picks up a rather small box and gingerly opens it to find a necklace. It has a thick chain and the pendant is the letter “U” with a screw going through the center.

“It’s pretty! What’s the “U” for? – Ooh,” she says, her eyes lighting up, “I love it, I love it, I love it, thank you!” she exclaims, climbing onto the couch next to her professor.

Jillian swallows, licking her lips, wondering if the necklace has a double meaning.

“One more,” Dr. Gorin says, picking up the last gift. Jillian removes the paper to find it’s a book, “I love books,” she whispers with innocent wonder.

“Happy Birthday, baby girl,” Dr. Gorin says, sliding closer to the blonde, “I hope this book is useful to you one day.”

At first glance, it appears to be an Atlas, but upon further page-turning, Jillian learns that it’s a book about the paranormal, highlighting lay-lines on different maps.

“It’s an old book of mine,” Dr. Gorin says, “but I want you to have it. I can’t wait to see all of the wonderful advances you will see in your career – all of your brilliant inventions…”

Jillian carefully sits the book next to the other gifts, and turns back to Dr. Gorin, pressing her hand against the older woman’s chest, “Rebecca I – I love you…I don’t want to leave you. I want to stay here with you. I can be your assistant.”

“You’re much too smart to be anyone’s assistant, dear,” Dr. Gorin says, her heart pounding under her student’s hand.

“I love you too.”

“You do?” Jillian asks, resting her thumb just beneath the fabric of her mentor’s dress.

“I always have.”

“What will I do without you?” Jillian’s voice starts to waver.

“You will be just fine, darling, but tonight, let me take care of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you any of you (all 2 of you who are reading lol) have been waiting for a little action in this fic - hopefully I won't totally let you down with the last chapter :)


	5. Held

The two women move to the soft, white carpet, sitting together in front of the fireplace. Jillian doesn’t understand how it stays so bright and clean. Tonight, Dr. Gorin doesn’t care if it gets a little bit messed up.

Bold with champagne and the authority she possesses with her role as mentor, Dr. Gorin removes Jillian’s tie, slowly unbuttoning her new, crisp white shirt, careful not to mess it up – or her…she wants to preserve Jillian’s purity – the innocence she sees in her swimming blue eyes, but more than anything, she wants to run her hands over every inch of her smooth skin.

Rebecca slides the new shirt down the younger woman’s body and sets it aside, running her fingers lightly over Jillian’s collarbone. The fire glows warm on the blonde’s chest. Only her silk, navy blue bra left covering her top half. The professor slips her fingers underneath the fabric and Jillian lets out a soft moan.

“It’s okay, love, we can stop whenever you want.”

Jillian answers by kissing her, hard. Desperate and needy. She slides her tongue over Rebecca’s lower lip as the older woman finds the clasp to Jillian’s bra. The feel of their lips touching for the first time overwhelms both of their senses. Jill moans into the kiss, sucking and sighing each time her professor parts her lips. Dr. Gorin's desire becoming unbearable.

With one tug, Rebecca undoes her bra, pulling back from the kiss long enough to gently slip the straps off of her bare shoulders. The older woman’s breath hitches, as she averts her eyes from Jill’s chest.

“I’m afraid I’ve mothered you for too long,” she says with a small laugh, “I, um – you’re quite grown up, little one.”

“I’m 28, remember?” Jillian murmurs as she takes Rebecca’s hand and places it over her breast, leaving her own hand resting on top.

“Oh, God, Jill…”  

Dr. Gorin’s auburn curls and copper-brown eyes look dazzling in the warm light cast by the fire.

Jillian licks her lips, pressing Rebecca’s hand firmer against her breast, causing the older woman to gasp.

“It’s your turn,” Jill whispers hungrily.

“No, dear,” Rebecca answers, her eyes coming back into focus, gathering her thoughts.

“Tonight is for you. And who’s the professor, again, Miss Holtzmann?”

“You…” Jill swallows.

“Good girl. Now lie back for me,” Rebecca instructs.

Straddling the blonde, Dr. Gorin reveals her crisscross pattern stockings as the tight black dress she's wearing hikes up around her thighs.

Jillian rests her hands on either side of Rebecca’s hips, mesmerized by the weight of her.

The older woman’s eyes scan over her student’s full chest, pink nipples soft and inviting; she studies her, stroking with the back of her hand down to the soft swell of the younger woman's stomach as it expands and falls with her labored breath.

Jill swallows, feeling exposed and a little vulnerable…she looks around for something to ground her. The sound of Rebecca’s voice brings her back.

“We can still stop, baby. I will not be disappointed with you.”

“Mmm Mmm..” Jillian answers, reaching for one of Dr. Gorin’s hands, intertwining their fingers.

Leaning down, Rebecca kisses her soft and deep, soaking her in, memorizing the taste…wild and sugaring. Their lips lock and connect and Jillian lets out a pitiful whimper when her professor pulls back.

The older woman acknowledges the whimper by rubbing her thumb over her pouting lips, as she slides down the younger woman’s body, kissing her breasts, the softness of her belly, the deep “v” where her hips meet her pants, and begins to unzip, lifting the smaller woman’s bum and sliding the pants down and off her legs, revealing reindeer print panties. Dr. Gorin smiles up at her,

“God you’re cute,” she says, spreading Jill’s legs open, placing tender kisses along both of her inner thighs.

Dr. Gorin pauses for a moment, enjoying the feel of Jill’s skin against her. She moves back up her body to place a kiss to her cheek.

“I’ll be right back, my dear, don’t move,” she says with another kiss to her cheek and a wink.

Rebecca returns in a nighty with a silk robe, legs bare and a home-made jar of coconut oil and lavender. Jillian is lying on her side, propped up on her elbow, her other arm attempting to cover her chest. Her jaw goes slack at the sight of her professor in that robe.

“Here now,” Rebecca says, retrieving a soft cream-colored blanket from the couch.

Kneeling beside the blonde, Rebecca guides her onto her stomach, running her hand between her shoulder blades, down her back, she pauses at the adorable Christmas underwear, “Can I?” she asks.

“Mm Hm,” Jillian murmurs and dramatically nods in response.

Rebecca slides her panties down her legs and tugs them off of her ankles, placing them aside with the rest of her clothing. So much for hanging everything up, she thinks with a smile.

She caresses her bare bum eliciting a hum of approval from Jill – a sound like she’s melting into the floor.

“Is the carpet soft enough for you, love?”

“I feel like I’m lying on a cloud,” Jillian answers, the plush carpet tickling her belly and soft curls of pubic hair now exposed to the floor.

Jill begins threading her fingers through the carpet, a fidgeting sign Dr. Gorin has come to know means her student is grappling with her thoughts.

“Rebecca?” Jill asks, after a moment, “Why are you being so sweet to me?”

Rebecca rubs the small of Jill’s back with her thumb before answering,

“From the moment I met you, I thought to myself, ‘I promise to take care of her.’ And I never break a promise.”

X

Methodically, the professor folds the cream blanket and lays it over Jillian’s bottom, leaving her exposed from the lower back up and mid-thighs down.

Taking the coconut oil mixture in her hands, Rebecca begins gently massaging it into Jillian’s smooth skin, dragging a low moan from the younger woman’s lips.

“Feel good?” the older woman laughs.

“Orgasmic,” Jillian answers, sheepishly.

“Ha! Don't rush it, we will get there,” Rebecca answers.

Jill shivers as Dr. Gorin once again straddles her, thighs gripping tight on either side of her body as the older woman presses her fingers into the nape of Jill’s neck, her thumbs pressing hard into her shoulder blades.

Rebecca leans down to place a kiss to Jill’s ear, before whispering, “If you become overwhelmed, you tell me, promise?”

“Promise,” Jillian whispers, reaching back to intertwine their fingers. The professor places three kisses along the top of Jill’s back, letting the younger woman hold her hand. 

Rebecca carefully removes the blanket from Jillian’s back with her free hand and places it in Jillian’s grasp trading out her own hand to be used in a more pleasurable capacity.

The older woman kisses down her student’s spine, pausing one last time before spreading the budding engineer’s thighs, causing the blonde to tuck her knees slightly underneath herself, licking her lips in anticipation.

“Jillian Marie…did anybody give you your birthday spankings or has this task been left in my hands?” Rebecca asks haughtily.

“Yours,” the tiny science student gulps, gripping the blanket harder, a wide grin spreading over her doll-like features.

“Well then, twenty-eight does seem a bit excessive. How about instead we do one for every year we’ve known each other, with still one to grow on, Hmm?”

“Yes ma’am,” Jillian replies gesturing her signature salute.

“Alright, then, I will leave the counting up to you,” Rebecca says, bringing her hand up in anticipation.

“…One,” Jill says before feeling the sting of her professor’s hand, causing her to gasp, realizing these spankings won’t be leaving her without being able to sit. Rebecca couldn’t bear to cause her actual pain.

“Two-three-four-five,” Jillian giggles out, as Rebecca paddles her playfully.

“And one to grow on,” Rebecca finishes, this time hitting a bit closer to her center, her other hand placed in the fold of her belly.

Jill pants as the laughter turns to arousal. She squeezes her eyes closed, tightening her grip on the blanket.

Knowing her student’s need for stimulus to come in waves and not all at once, Rebecca pulls Jill backwards almost into her lap, keeping her hand on her lower stomach, inching closer to her entrance.

“I’ve got you, Jill,” she says before slipping a finger inside of her wet opening.

“Nnnghh,” Jill cries, “more..m..m..more.”

Making Jill’s wish her command, Rebecca slips two more fingers inside, pulsing her hand in and out as Jill rides the sensation, her lower back arching deep, her head hanging heavy between her arms, still gripping the blanket, panting and gasping, and moving her hips low into Rebecca’s waiting fingers.

The professor’s hand still placed on Jillian’s belly moves lower to find her clit, stroking lightly while her other hand penetrates her from behind.

“I’m, I’m – Oh,” Jill cries, “Rebecca, I’m com-” she nearly sobs.

“Good girl,” Rebecca encourages her, feeling how close she is, the way her walls pull her fingers deeper inside.

“-ing!” Jill finishes, coming hard and slow reaching back for her professor.

“I’m here love, come here, baby,” Rebecca says, out of breath, pulling the blonde’s limp body back all the way into her lap, her head leaning back on the older woman’s shoulder.

“I love – I want – I need – to touch – to hold you. Hold me,” Jill pants, chest heaving, hair a beautiful mess.

“Come to bed, love,” Rebecca smiles, smoothing her hair.

X

Both women lie naked in Rebecca’s bed after another round of love-making, where Jillian got to touch and hold and be held.

Dr. Gorin brings Jillian’s fading red fingertips to her lips and kisses each one. Something she longed to do when she first burned them.

Jill’s breathing begins to even out, a yawn and a stretch, and she’s reaching up to cup Rebecca’s face, to place a kiss to her professor’s cheek, eyes closed, mouth warm, she snuggles down laying her head on Rebecca’s chest.

“I love you,” she murmurs.

“I love you too, birthday girl,” Rebecca responds before succumbing to sleep.

X

Epilogue

 

It’s graduation day. Jillian is in her dashing new suit – she’s chosen the pink bow-tie for the big occasion, matching the pink boutonniere pinned to her blazer, and of course, around her neck is her “Screw U” birthday necklace she plans to never take off.

Rebecca claps with pride when it’s Jill’s turn to accept her hard-earned diploma. She spent the last month helping Jillian select an internship with NASA, telling her repeatedly that she would always, always be there for her, but that she didn’t spend the last five years preparing her to never spread her wings.

Jill practically flings herself into Rebecca’s arms after the ceremony. Tomorrow the newly Dr. Holtzmann leaves for the airport, the first day of her internship.

Holding her tight, Rebecca whispers into her ear, “I’m so proud, Jill. I love you, and I’m so proud – The world isn’t ready for you, but you are ready for the world… Be good darling.”

“If I’m good…Can I stay?” Jill asks, pulling back from the embrace.

“Sweetheart…I don’t want you to go because you aren’t good. That has never been it, do you understand that?”

Jillian looks down, playing with Rebecca’s hand. The older woman takes her chin, tilting it up to meet her gaze, mesmerized by her baby blue eyes.

“You’re perfect as far as I’m concerned,” Dr. Gorin continues, “I want you to test new things. Have a career, an adventure…Make friends…make a mess, find your way. I’ll always be rooting for you. I will always love you, Jillian Holtzmann.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel totally free to leave a comment if you were one of the 2.4 people who read this and if you enjoyed it. I hope so. I know Holtzbert is everyone's fave but I think there are some people that really love the backstory of these two. I personally like to think Dr. Gorin and Holtz had an intimate relationship in some capacity and that Dr. Gorin approves of Erin for Jill in the future... it's all bittersweet. I love anytime Jillian is being loved. :)


End file.
